Home Care In Center, NC

ROCKY POINT, N.C. (WECT) - Fire crews contained a 12-acre woods fire Wednesday evening that damaged several vehicles, a boat and one structure.

The fire was reported at 4:52 p.m. on NC Highway 133 between US Highway 117 at Paul’s Place Famous Hotdogs and Cheshire Road, according to Tommy Batson, Pender County Emergency Management Director.

One person sustained burn injuries during the fire and was treated on-scene by Pender EMS & Fire before being airlifted to the North Carolina Jaycee Burn Center at UNC Chapel Hill for specialized care, according to the Pender County Fire Marshal’s Office.

The patient’s current condition has not been released at this time.

The flames spread from the initial scene involving multiple vehicles, a structure and a boat to the surrounding woods. An employee at Paul’s Place Famous Hotdogs said the restaurant was not involved in the fire.

“While the fire’s forward progress has been halted, residents in the Rocky Point area should expect to see and smell smoke over the next several days. The interior of the burn area will continue to smolder as crews monitor the scene for any flare-ups‚" said the Pender County Fire Marshal’s Office in a statement.

Responding agencies included Rocky Point Fire Department, Pender EMS & Fire, Burgaw Fire Department, Penderlea Fire Department, New Hanover County Fire & Rescue, NC Forestry Service and Pender County Sheriff’s Office.

NC Highway 133 was closed during the fire and has since reopened, but fire and forestry crews will continue work in the area for the next couple of hours, according to Pender County Emergency Management.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Mercer University alumnus Lee Lavender built a career around operations training and disaster response, and his extensive experience has now led him to a directorial role with the North Carolina Emergency Training Center.

Lavender, a North Carolina native, is a 2019 graduate of the College of Professional Advancement’s homeland security and emergency management bachelor’s degree program. However, his career began in 1993 when he joined the U.S. Marines as a high school dropout, a decision that “straightened everything” out for him and sent him on a unique journey.

He served in the Marine Corps for 20 years, completing multiple tours including in Iraq and Afghanistan and specializing in chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear response training. One of his most impactful involvements was as the II Marine Expeditionary Force lead planning agent for response efforts following the tsunami and resulting nuclear disaster in Japan in 2011.

After retiring from the Marines in 2013, he became director of operations for the Guardian Centers in Perry, Georgia, a disaster preparedness training facility. Meanwhile, he was also furthering his knowledge through college classes.

He earned an associate’s degree in emergency management at Central Georgia Technical College in 2016, followed by a bachelor’s degree at Mercer in 2019. He plans to complete a master’s degree in public health and administration by the end of 2026.

“I’ve always wanted to engage in learning beyond just the experiential level. I wanted to get a better understanding of what other people were doing. The one thing I missed was being a college student,” he said.

Lavender had worked in disaster response for 25-plus years, but being in classrooms surrounded by students and professors with varying perspectives opened his eyes to new thought-processes and considerations.

“The Marine Corps trains individuals to become professional warriors through didactic and hands-on learning, but I think the real thing I got from college was the interaction in a more contemporary environment,” he said. “The Marine Corps was 20-plus years of my life and I will always be a Marine, but I don’t want that to be the only thing that defines me. I want to be continually educated, and going to college, interacting with the other students and the environment created an ability to step away, shed that brashness, being in a scenario where you’re not surrounded by like-minded people.”

After a dozen years with the Guardian Centers, Lavender became director of the new Emergency Training Center in Stanly County, North Carolina, in October 2025.

“I really appreciate everything I got from the state of Georgia, CGTC and Mercer,” Lavender said. “North Carolina has been my home, and I wanted to eventually get back to it. It gives me an opportunity to return back home to North Carolina and fits in line with what I’ve been doing in my training and my career.”

With his three children out of high school, Lavender said it was the perfect opportunity to return to his roots while embracing a new opportunity.

The N.C. Emergency Training Center currently provides training in aircraft rescue firefighting and swift/flood water rescue, with plans to expand its offerings in the future. Lavender works for the Office of the State Fire Marshal in his role, but he hopes to forge partnerships with the North Carolina Department of Public Safety and North Carolina Emergency Management as well as regional, federal and international agencies.

“Really what I hope to do here is establish growth of this center and determine areas where this site can help responders,” Lavender said. “It is truly a North Carolina center for excellence for safety, but … I’m interested in developing this place into not just a North Carolina center but something that regional and international partners can look to as well.

“It’s not about me; it’s about we. We have the best instructors here conducting the most realistic training. The intent is that everyone who comes here leaves better. I just hope to be a capable resource to the instructors, students and partners here.”

As NC State and head coach Will Wade head into the heart of conference play while continuing their push toward the NCAA tournament, the Wolfpack have also been active on the recruiting trail as of late.

Over the past few months, Wade and his staff have made progress with several prospects across multiple classes, including a four-star 2028 center who recently named NC State among the schools standing out early in his recruitment.

Wolfpack Standing Out to 4-Star 2028 Center

On Dec. 22, NC State extended an offer to Xavier Hall, a four-star center in the 2028 class from Davidson Day High School in Roseboro, North Carolina, and the Wolfpack has been actively pursuing him since.

Although Hall is only a sophomore at Davidson Day, he’s already established himself as one of the top prospects in the 2028 class. Rivals ranks him as the No. 29 overall player in the country, the No. 5 center, and the No. 4 prospect from North Carolina.

It’s still very early in Hall’s recruitment process, but the 6’9” center recently told Rivals’ Jamie Shaw that NC State is one of the schools that has made a strong impression on him so far.

Hall explained that he’s spoken with Wade and that he’s a fan of the program and school. He also noted that Wade has made it clear that NC State is very interested in him.

NC State isn’t the only school making early progress with Hall, as Cincinnati, Mississippi State, Virginia Tech, and Wake Forest are also in the mix to land him. Still, with the Wolfpack being his home-state school, they should be in a strong position to compete for the four-star center as his recruitment continues to heat up.

Regarding what Hall is looking for in a school, he told Shaw he wants a program where he can build a strong relationship with the coaching staff and play his own game.

While there’s still a long way to go before Hall makes a decision, it’s clear he’s interested in NC State. If Wade and his staff can continue to make progress with him over the next several months, they should have a strong chance of landing one of the top prospects in the 2028 class.

Keep it with NC State On SI for updates throughout the transfer portal process. Ensure you follow on X (Twitter) and and never miss another breaking news story again.

Georgia Tech could have the tallest post duo NC State has faced this season, if freshman center Mouhamed Sylla is healthy.

NC State coach Will Wade knows that Georgia Tech’s style and sheer size changes if the 6-foot-10, 240-pound Sylla and 6-9, 240-pound Baye Ndongo play together at 12 p.m. Saturday on The CW Network at the Lenovo Center. The two Senegal, Africa, natives haven’t had much time together in ACC action.

Sylla started the season with five double-doubles in the first six games for Georgia Tech. He was also a rim protector with nine blocked shots during that November stretch.

Sylla was limited to 13 minutes against Duke on Dec. 31, and then missed the Boston College and Syracuse games due to a lower leg injury. He tried to play against Miami on Jan. 10, but couldn’t after two minutes, and missed the 89-66 blowout loss against Pittsburgh on Wednesday night. Sylla was in a medical boot during the game.

Wade will know quickly if he’ll face a “tall” team or small ball based on Sylla’s availability. He is averaging 10.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 22.3 minutes per game.

“I mean, look, he was a great player,” Wade said. “When they have those two bigs, it’s hard to score at that rim. Very, very difficult to score at the rim.”

Georgia Tech has fallen to 10-8 overall and 1-4 in the league, and the lineup has changed radically without Sylla. The Yellow Jackets have Ndonga at center, but played 6-7 small forward Kowacie Reeves and three guards with him.

Pacific point guard transfer Lamar Washington, sophomore shoting guard Jaeden Mustaf and freshman wing Akai Fleming started against Pitt.

“Washington is a good point guard,” Wade said. “So they’ve got a good team. Coach [Damon] Stoudemire does a great job with them. It’ll be a big challenge on Saturday.”

Backup center Peyton Marshall, a former NC State recruiting target, brings massive size off the bench at 7-foot and 300 pounds, but he played just six minutes against the Panthers and is coming back from a minor injury.

On3.com had Sylla ranked No. 18 overall in the class of 2025 coming out of Bella Vista College Prep in Phoenix, Ariz. He didn’t play traveling team ball, but was coveted by colleges. Sylla picked Georgia Tech over Washington, Oregon, Arkansas and Kansas among others.

Ndongo is averaging 12.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game in 25.4 minutes a contest. He’s shooting 55.1 percent from the field, and has three double-doubles for points and rebounds.

Ndongo had a career-high 29 points, 17 rebounds and two blocks in a 87-62 win vs. NC State on March 1, 2025.

RALEIGH – NC State men's tennis welcomes Campbell to Raleigh on Friday to commence the 2026 season. The two are scheduled to play a doubleheader starting at 12:30 p.m. and then 5:00 p.m. indoors at the J.W. Isenhour Tennis Center.

Dual-Match Info • All tennis matches are played at the J.W. Isenhour Tennis Center on NC State's campus in Raleigh and are free of charge for fans to attend - this match is set to be played indoors. • Parking for fans is available at West Deck off of Varsity Drive across the street. • Start times for the matches are slated for 12:30 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. on Friday, January 16. • Those in attendance will be able to enjoy free donuts and coffee from Krispy Kreme (while supplies last). • Fans at home will be able to follow along with live scores here and the live stream here.

Series History with Campbell (leads 12-2) • Friday's match marks the 15th meeting between the Wolfpack and the Camels. • The two faced each other last season (January of 2025) in Raleigh, which resulted in a 7-0 win for the Wolfpack. NC State has not recorded a loss to Campbell since 2000.

Last Time Out // Last Season Recap NC State's 2025 campaign ended in the NCAA Sweet 16 match against Columbia in New York City. The super regional appearance marked just the third time in program history. The squad earned a No. 7 spot after the conclusion of the season, the highest final ITA ranking in program history. Cris James was named the ITA Assistant Coach of the Year and Martin Borisiouk was the ITA Carolina Region Most Improved Player and Player to Watch. Braden Shick and Fons Van Sambeek earned doubles All-America honors.

Quick Notes • The ACC holds eight teams ranked nationally, four of which are in the top-10 (No. 1 Wake Forest, No. 4 Stanford, No. 5 Virginia, No. 9 NC State, No. 15 California, No. 17 Duke, No. 22 Florida State, and No. 25 Clemson). • NC State is scheduled to play nine teams featured in the ITA preseason rankings (No. 1 Wake Forest, No. 4 Stanford, No. 5 Virginia, No. 9 NC State, No. 15 California, No. 17 Duke, No. 18 South Carolina, No. 22 Florida State, and No. 25 Clemson. • Head coach Kyle Spencer enters his ninth season at the helm of the Wolfpack. • The program welcomes four freshmen to their first collegiate spring season - Australia native, Charlie Camus, Canada native Miko Lapalme, Romania native Darius Pop, and Lithuania native Ainius Sabaliauskas.

Team Highlights • The squad begins the 2026 season with its second-highest preseason team ranking in program history at No. 9. The Wolfpack's highest preseason ranking was at No. 8 to start the 2021 season.

Individual Highlights • After the result of fall play, the Pack holds two players ranked in singles (No. 9 Martin Borisiouk and No. 85 William Manning) to start the spring campaign.

@PackMensTennis || #PackRisin